The episode where Friday learns his partner is dead is called The Big Sorrow and it is very much in circulation.
https://archive.org/details/DragnetBigSorrow


low rating for uninformed poster

Barton Yarborough, the man who plays Friday's partner in this episode, died of a heart attack before the next episode (Season 1, Episode 3 "The Big Death"). Supposedly, Joe Friday cries in that episode upon learning of the death of his partner. (Unfortunately this episode is not in circulation).

The only other TV episode Yarborough was in was the one previous to this (Season 1, Episode 1 "The Huiman Bomb").

Yarborough played Friday's partner on all the Dragnet radio episodes, which started in 1949 utill his death.

Not as exciting an episode as "The Human Bomb" but valuable to get a final look at BY as Joe's partner.

I was interested in that as well...so I looked it up! (you can find AYTHING on the interweb!)
And while some called it "The Flying Nun Hat", its real name is the "Cornette". But Sally Field's was overly starched to the gills! :)

A hospital run by nuns (including very interesting things on their heads - I don't know the proper term) has its burglary invaded by a thief who steals all the narcotics. Friday and Smith run him down.

The ending scenes are interesting and somewhat ironic: shot behind the scenes on a soundstage where a crime drama is being filmed. Their interrogation is interrupted several times by the filming starting.

Actually, I kind of enjoyed this episode. Should be noted that Badge 714 was a title used later for syndication, this would have still originally been an episode of Dragnet.

Not a great episode of Dragnet, or Badge 714 as it was called in this episode, but still well worth a look.